Little Lost Kitten
by EquestrianCSI
Summary: Danny finds a tiny, lost kitten at CSI headquarters. What will he do with it?


**Disclaimer: I do not own CSI:NY or any of the characters related to the show. Nor, am I in any way part of the show's production, livelihood, or very existence!**

The first cold snap of the season had hit New York early that morning, and as Danny Messer walked from the parking garage to the crime lab, he huddled deeper inside his heavy jacket. His heart felt as gray and brooding as the clouds in the sky, and he didn't know if he'd be able to concentrate on anything except Lindsey Monroe.

He shouldn't think about her; shouldn't dream about her; she'd rejected him and any relationship they might have had was gone now. She barely looked at him anymore much less smiled at him the way she always had before, and honestly, Danny was fed up with it. Hell, she'd let him kiss her; let him into her apartment to sit and watch old movies on cool rainy nights. Yet, when he'd hinted at taking their friendship to the next level, she'd run quicker than a rabbit out the door and out of his sight. What the hell was it with women anyway? He wondered, turning left and walking into the entrance of the crime lab.  
A small, plaintitve noise caught his attention, and Danny stopped. Fat flakes of snow had begun to fall, and people stepped up their paces, eager to be out of the weather and in their heated offices. Yet Danny stood outside the door, listening. There it was again; the unmistakable sound of a small animal's cry. Frowning, Danny turned and walked back to the concrete planter box that stood to the left of the top step. There was a small space between the planter and the brick wall, and Danny shone his pen-light carefully in the crevasse. An amused smile creased his cheeks as he saw a small white kitten hunched against the cold concrete.

"Hey buddy," Danny crooned,

"What are you doing in there?" The kitten's eyes shone back at him, but the small animal made no move to run.

Carefully, Danny slid his hand into the small space and his fingers brushed the kitten's soft fur. The animal backed away, and Danny sighed.  
"Come on little guy," he coaxed,

"I ain't gonna hurt you."

Sitting down as close to the planter as he could, Danny reached blindly for the kitten, his hand barely touching a tiny leg. Pulling his arm out, he looked around to see that the snow was falling faster, and people staring at him as they passed by.

"Probably wondering why I'm sitting here in the snow fondling a building," Danny muttered to himself and stretched out on his side, the concrete cold against his leg.

Reaching further behind the planter, Danny felt again the soft fur of the kitten, and was able to hook his finger around the animal's foreleg. Slowly, he dragged the baby out, grinning when he saw the fuzzy face appear.

"Hi there," Danny greeted, picking the kitten up and snuggling it against his chest.

"What are you doing out in this weather, huh?" He asked, his accent gruff.

The kitten seemed to have overcome it's shyness, and Danny could hear it's loud, grateful purring as he got to his feet. Pushing open the door to the building, the young CSI headed toward the elevator, wondering what Mac would say about a kitten visiting the lab.

Lindsey was carrying her usual morning coffee to the lab when Danny stepped off the elevator. She glanced at him, hoping he wouldn't ask her any more questions. It had killed her to turn him down that day, but she had, and it was over. She had a job to do and she wanted to concentrate on that to the best of her abilities. She noticed that Danny held something in his hands, and Lindsey looked again. Nestled contentedly against Danny's chest was the smallest kitten Lindsey had ever seen. She

couldn't help the smile that came to her lips, and Lindsey unhesitatingly walked over to Danny, her eyes on the white kitten.

"Where did you find such a tiny thing?" Lindsey asked, and looked up into Danny's face.  
Catching him smiling at her, Lindsey quickly dropped her eyes back to the small scrap of fur in Danny's strong hands. Danny watched her a moment, and then held the kitten out to her.

"Behind the planter box outside," he said and felt Lindey's fingers brush his as she took the kitten from his hands.

Her touch was warm and soft, and Danny's heart felt even heavier than it had before. He wished he could get Lindsey to tell him why she'd backed away; why a relationship between them wouldn't work. But he'd promised himself he wouldn't pry. He had vowed that he wouldn't say anymore until she came to him. Seeing Lindsey trying to hold the kitten in one hand and her coffee in the other, Danny reached out and took the cup from her. Lindsey smiled shyly at him, and held the kitten to her face, where she pressed her nose into its fur.

"Look at you," she whispered, kissing the kitten's head.

Danny watched her love on the kitten, and he noticed that instead of all white, the kitten had grey ears and a grey tail.  
"Looks like someone put the wrong parts together," he said, and touched one of the small pointed ears.

Lindsey laughed, and pulled the kittens tail through her fingers. The kitten licked Lindsey's chin with it's rough pink tongue.

"Makes him that much cuter," Lindsey said, and looked up at Danny.

He was watching her, his eyes sad and his expression haunted. Lindsey frowned.

"What's wrong?" she asked, and held the kitten out to him.

Danny shook his head slightly and forced a smile.

"I think you'd be better than me at taking care of the little guy," Danny said, adding,

"Besides, I don't like cats that much anyway." It wasn't exactly a lie; more of an excuse.

Lindsey shrugged, kissing the kitten again on the head.

"Would you like to come home with me?" she asked it, and the little animal responded by snuggling it's head against Lindsey's collarbone.

"Do you think Mac will mind if it spends the morning in the lab until I go home at lunch?" Linsey asked him, and Danny shook his head.

"I doubt it. That kitten's not going to take up a lot of room; it looks tired and hungry. Give it part of your egg McMuffin, and he'll probably sleep the rest of the day."

Lindsey nodded and rubbed the kitten's ears.

"He's just looking for someone to love him," she said as the kitten began its loud purring once again.

Turning, she walked away, leaving Danny holding her steaming cup of coffee in his hand. He watched Lindsey until she disappeared around the corner. His heart ached at the irony of her parting words.

_He's just looking for someone to love._

Danny sighed. Right now, the only person he wanted to love was Lindsey Monroe, and she'd backed away from him just as the kitten had backed away from his helping hand a few moments earlier. How he wished he could coax Lindsey to trust him like he had the kitten. Staring into the dark depths of the coffee, Danny sighed. If only he could get her to trust him; to let him hold her and show her he wasn't going to hurt her. But it seemed a lost cause. Dropping the cup into the nearest trash can, Danny leaned up against the wall. Why in the world couldn't she trust him? Pushing the thought from his mind, Danny walked toward the breakroom, hoping a fresh cup of coffee could warm the coldness in his heart. He didn't think so. Only Lindsey could do that, and she had walked out of his life as surely as she'd walked away with the kitten. He hoped she'd keep it; give it a home and the love she so obviously was not ready to give him. Another day was beginning and Danny hoped he could get through it without tearing up everytime he looked at Lindsey. For a moment, he wished he could trade places with the little scrap of fur; at least that way, he could be with her. Feeling as lost and abandoned as the little kitten had been, Danny shoved his hands into the pockets of his coat and made his way silently down the hall.


End file.
